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Military

The Museum's superb military collections document the history of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States. The collections include ordnance, firearms, and swords; uniforms and insignia; national and military flags and banners; and many other objects.

The strength of the collections lies in their enormous depth. Some 3,000 military small arms and 2,400 civilian firearms document the mechanical and technological history of the infantryman's weapons from the beginning of the gunpowder era to the present. Among the 4,000 swords and knives in the collection are many spectacular presentation pieces. The collections also include Civil War era telegraph equipment, home front artifacts from both world wars, early computers such as ENIAC, Whirlwind, and Sage, and materials carried at antiwar demonstrations.

This frock coat was worn by Confederate Army Infantry Colonel Robert W. Harper. Double breasted gray heather wool frock coat with two rows of seven large gilt infantry buttons with the raised letter "I" on the face down the front, two at the back waist, one at the bottom of each pocket opening on the rear skirt, and three smaller general service eagle buttons on each cuff. The bottom right button on the right front row is detached from its location and is tied to the top buttonhole with string. The back of the buttons read, "Halfmann & Taylor Montgomery." Both sides of the breast of the coat have button holes. There is a hook and eye closure at the collar. The collar and cuffs are faced with bright blue wool. The facing on the cuffs forms an inverted "V". Above the cuff there is a triple row of 1/8" gold braided metallic lace, called an Austrian knot, sewed on with a single row of gold thread. The gold tape also lines the cuff. The collar has three large five-point gold stars on each side which are woven onto the collar facing with thick metallic thread. There is a small slit pocket on the right front of the jacket above the waist. The buttonhole flaps and front of the skirt are piped with blue wool. The coat is fully lined. The button flaps and the inside of the collar are lined with blue wool. The sleeves are fully lined with cotton twill. The rest of the lining is a dark brownish green cotton. The chest, shoulder, and underarm are lightly padded and quilted. There is a slit breast pocket on the inside left. There is a deep pocket in each coattail in between the coat and the lining. There is a loop of brownish green cotton at the inside back collar.

This frock coat was worn by Confederate Army infantryman Frank B. Gibson while a member of Company D of the 26th Infantry of South Carolina. Single-breasted coarse brown wool "butternut" coat which formerly had six brass infantry "I" buttons. The top button and two bottom buttons are currently missing. There are two small brass buttons on the near the sides of the collar which depict a pinwheel design. There is a large pocket with a flap on each side of the coat. There is one breast pocket in the left inside of the coat. The coat is fully lined with the same brown wool. The chest lining is wool and is padded.

The five-shot .36-caliber Paterson revolver became famous for its use on the western frontier. It is sometimes called the "Texas" Paterson because of its association with the Texas Rangers. This piece was filed as an example in the U. S. Patent Office about 1840. It is stamped with the Serial Number 414 on the frame and Serial Number 222 on the cylinder.

This revolver was kept at the Patent Office until its transfer to the Smithsonian in 1908.

The first safety razor was patented by King Gillette in 1901. It was created as an alternative to the straight razor, which required skill to wield, making a shave the purview of the local barber. Gillette's invention, which used disposable blades, eliminated the need for sharpening the blade and allowed the user to shave himself without fear of serious injury. He founded the American Safety Razor Company that same year. The Gillette Company was a player in the market for 101 years, until is was purchased by the Proctor & Gamble Company in 2005. Savvy marketing by the company, plus a good product, was the reason for the longevity.

One of those products, the U.S. Service Set, was introduced by the Gillette Safety Razor Company (as it was known then) during World War I. There were two versions, the khaki set and the metal set. The Gillette khaki set was issued to the soldier, but the metal set was available for the purchase price of five dollars from retailers such as Sears Roebuck and Company. It was marketed as the gift the soldier in service would like to have, and many were purchased by family and friends. The metal tin came with a handle, razor head, a pack of blades, and a mirror on the interior of the lid. The exterior of the lid was embossed with U.S. Army and Navy insignia.

Straight pin-back United War Work Campaign pin. The pin is a flat, white square with a blue circle. Text in the circle says “United War Work Campaign.” Within the circle is a red shield that says “For The Boys Over There.”

The United War Work Campaign was a joint effort undertaken by seven voluntary organizations active during World War I: the National War Work Council of the YMCA, the War Work Council of the YWCA, the National Catholic War Council (Knights of Columbus), the Jewish Welfare Board, the War Camp Community Service, the American Library Association, and the Salvation Army. The aim of the campaign was for these seven organizations to raise at least $170,500,000 in subscriptions and pledges during the week of November 11–18, 1918, to help boost American soldiers’ morale and provide them with recreational activities.

Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.

SOURCE:

“United War Work Campaign,” Committee on Public Information, Bulletin 42, 1918.

Straight pin-back United War Work Campaign pin. The pin is a flat, blue rectangle with white print that reads “United War Work Campaign.” Within the rectangle is a white square with a red shield. The shield has white text that reads “For The Boys Over There.”

The United War Work Campaign was a joint effort undertaken by seven voluntary organizations active during World War I: the National War Work Council of the YMCA, the War Work Council of the YWCA, the National Catholic War Council (Knights of Columbus), the Jewish Welfare Board, the War Camp Community Service, the American Library Association, and the Salvation Army. The aim of the campaign was for these seven organizations to raise at least $170,500,000 in subscriptions and pledges during the week of November 11–18, 1918, to help boost American soldiers’ morale and provide them with recreational activities.

Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.

SOURCE:

“United War Work Campaign,” Committee on Public Information, Bulletin 42, 1918.

Clip-on pin for the Second Red Cross War Fund. The pin is a white rectangle with a blue border. A red cross is in the center of the pin. Blue print reads “2nd War Fund.”

The American Red Cross was one of the major organizations that conducted relief work during World War I. The Second Red Cross War Drive occurred from May 20–27, 1918, in an effort to raise at least $100,000,000 for the support of the organization’s work.

Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.

SOURCE:

The Work of the American Red Cross During the War: A Statement of Finances and Accomplishments for the Period July 1, 1917, to February 28, 1919 (Washington, D.C.: American Red Cross, 1919), 16–19. archive.org/stream/cu31924027870777.